4 Power Affairs
by pjstillnoon
Summary: When power is stripped from an individual it is up them to take it back. Ria is attacked, Gillian realises she has unresolved issues  and Cal finds himself suddenly power-less.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: I have to thank Cloe for her help on this one BIG TIME; for being my sounding board, helping me work out the details and in the process helping to undo my writers block. And the Doc, as always, for the little snippets she contributed here and there in the very beginning and encouraging my idea :)_

**Teaser**

The restaurant is housed in an old bank. It's full of patrons and the background noise is a steady buzz of conversation and the tinkling of cutlery, glass ware and piano. The waiting staff are dressed in white shirts and black vests, ties and trousers. A young man indicates a table for two against the wall. He pulls Gillian's chair out for her and offers to take her stole. She thanks him with a smile and hands it over. He pushes her chair in for her too. Gillian looks around the decor; dark varnished wooden floors, deep forest green for the booths that clearly used to be private cubicles for bank staff and clients, and cream walls. There were framed black and white photographs of the original building, inside and out. She studies the one that hangs over where they sit. Then turns her attention to her dinner date. Cal looks back with raised eyebrows. "Finally here then."

Gillian gives him a smile. He's had a hair cut recently and he is in a suit, dark with white shirt, no tie, polished black shoes. He's even shaved. He looks great and he is trying so very hard. "I guess we are."

Cal fidgets in his seat and leaned forwards as if he has a secret to impart. He doesn't get a chance to say it before their waiter arrives again. Cal sits back abruptly.

"Can I bring you something to drink?"

Gillian looks to Cal. "Wine?" He suggests.

"Sure," she agrees. "Anything."

Cal picks up the wine menu and selects a bottle. He recites it to the waiter who gives a nod and takes the menu away as he leaves. Cal suddenly seems struck with realisation. "Is that all right?"

"The wine's fine."

"No, I didn't ask you if that was all right before I did it."

Gillian gives him an expression that is a cross between a laugh and a frown. "Don't worry about it. It's wine. It's not that big a deal."

"You're allowed to tell me off you know. You don't have to stop all of a sudden cos we're," and he waves a hand between them so she knows he is talking about them and everything that that implies.

Gillian, bordering on amused now, reaches out and places her hand over his on the table top. "Relax Cal. It's just dinner."

"It's dinner with implications."

"You're over thinking it."

"I don't want to screw it up."

The waiter comes back with the wine and Cal waves for him to just pour it; he doesn't need to try it first. The waiter tells them the specials and then politely mentions he'll be back in a few minutes to take their order. Gillian withdraws her hand to pick up her menu. She peruses over it. "And if you think I'm going to stop telling you off because we're dating, you've got another thing coming."

Cal gives her a delighted smirk she doesn't notice and picks his own menu up.

_Exterior shot of Logan's. Night._

"It's getting so warm," Gillian notes, looking up at the clear sky.

"Yeah," Cal agrees eyeing up her figure in the little black dress.

"I'm looking forward to summer this year."

"Just this year?" Cal asks with raised eyebrows.

Gillian turns to him to retort when his new dark car pulls up and the valet steps out. Cal opens Gillian's door for her, then tips the valet and strides around to the driver's side. Once his car door is slammed shut Gillian speaks again. "You look really nice this evening."

Cal had turned to push his seatbelt into the catch but suddenly stops and looks up at her. "Thank you."

She gives him a smile, a genuine one, a flirty one and he grins back. "Also thank you for dinner."

"My pleasure."

"Don't be so nervous."

"When it comes to dating you, I find it hard not to be."

Gillian's hand comes to rest on his arm as Cal pushes the clip into the catch. She can feel his muscles bunch under his suit jacket. She gives his arm a little squeeze. "Just relax. We'll get used to dating."

_Cal's car interior. Night._

Cal cuts the engine and turns to look at Gillian, who is watching him. "Want me to walk you to the door?"

"I think I can manage."

"If I don't, do I forfeit a goodnight kiss?"

"Absolutely not," Gillian leans towards him and he meets her to press lips against lips. Gillian gives a little sigh and kisses him just that little bit harder. Cal opens his mouth slightly against hers and Gillian's hand comes to rest along his jaw.

"I could definitely get used to this part." He gives her a disarming smile.

Gillian gives a slight laugh and leans in for another kiss just as her cell phone starts ringing in her purse. "Hold that thought," she tells him.

Cal gives a groan. "Or you could just not answer it," he tells her as she finds her phone.

She frowns at the number before answering. "Yes?"

Cal places a hand near the back of her neck, stroking the soft skin here.

"Yes this is she?"

From this tone of voice, he withdraws his hand and tries to catch her eye to silently ask what is wrong.

"Yes I'll be right there." She disconnects the call and turns to Cal with worry on her face.

"Who's in trouble?" He asks quickly.

_Exterior hospital. Night. Continued._

Gillian approaches the emergency department reception desk in a bustling hospital front line department and impatiently waits for someone to give her some attention. It's not extremely busy but the nurse who is manning the desk is currently having a conversation with a man who is holding a bloodied handkerchief to the ring finger of his left hand. "I understand, Mr Carson, that you're in a whole world of pain," she speaks dryly. "But there are other priority cases ahead of yours right now. You're not going to bleed to death. I'll keep an eye on you and a doctor will be with you shortly."

Carson looks over at Gillian, then eyes her up quite blatantly. "She doesn't seem to be hurt at all."

The nurse gives him a withering stare while he isn't watching her. "Take a seat Mr Carson," the nurse tells him in a bored tone of voice. She has clearly been dealing with him for several hours. "Decided to cut his wedding ring off," the woman explains as she approaches where Gillian is waiting.

"That's one way to get rid of it," Cal quips. "I had to use soap, try and..." he trails off abruptly and ceases his demonstration at Gillian's sharp glare.

"I'm Doctor Foster, I'm looking for Ria Torres," Gillian speaks to the nurse who's name tag reads Maggie.

"Torres," the nurse muses. "Let me check." She types quickly on the chunky computer keyboard. "She's in exam room three with Doctor Anderson."

"Thank you," Gillian is polite. Cal saunters down the corridor after her while she moves rapidly in the direction the nurse has pointed out. He doesn't seem concerned much about the fact that one of their employees is in a hospital. When they reach the doorway Gillian hesitates.

"Are you going in?" Cal asks.

"I might wait out here for the doctor to finish," Gillian steps away again.

"She called you for a reason."

"But I don't know what that reason is for yet," Gillian tells him.

Cal gives a nod like he understands but it's clear he doesn't. He fidgets where he stands, a bundle of nervous energy.

"You don't have to stay if you don't want to," Gillian tells him.

Cal gives her a frown. "I'm offended by that. Course I'm gonna stay." He turns towards her and approaches. "What do you think of me?"

The exam room door opens and a man their height in blue scrubs emerges. He gives them an expectant expression. "I'm Doctor Foster," Gillian explains as she turns away from Cal. "Ria asked you to phone me."

"Right of course. You can go in and see her."

"What happened?" Cal asked. "Car accident?"

"No, it's more serious than that. Ms Torres was attacked."

**Opening Credits**


	2. Chapter 2

_AN: yeah I'm still here. Nice to see you're still here too :)_

**Act One **

Cal wanders back and forth outside the exam room. He glances through the venetian blinds every so often as he makes his turns at the end of his short pace. He can see Torres in the bed in the centre of the small room, wearing a hospital gown. There is a white gauze bandage taped against her jaw. She's talking to Gillian, who is perched on the edge of the bed, her hand reassuringly on Torres' arm. Gillian shows concern and sympathy as the converse. On Cal's face is unease.

_Exam room three. Continued._

"Have you got somewhere you can stay tonight?" Gillian asks gently.

"I'll just go home," Torres answers determinedly, moving to sit up further. "It'll be fine."

"Can someone come and stay with you?"

Torres looks vague.

"You'll come and stay with me," Gillian tells her firmly, making a decision.

"I really don't want to put you out. I've clearly interrupted your evening," she doesn't have to glance in any particular direction or gesture to what Foster is wearing, or even to Cal prowling around outside her room, for either of them to know what she's talking about specifically.

"Ria, it's fine," Gillian insists but still in that calm tone of voice she uses when she's playing the psychologist. "You might not think so now, but you won't want to be alone later."

Realisation washes over Torres as she suddenly remembers Gillian knows exactly what it is like to be attacked by someone; she knows exactly what Ria is going through. Ria gives a nod. She understands. She will play along for tonight. "I'll leave you to get changed," Gillian gives her arm a squeeze and gets up.

Gillian slips out the door and Cal rounds on her immediately. "Well?" He demands. "So what happened? Is she all right?"

"She should be fine. No lasting physical damage of any sort. It's just a graze," Gillian takes his arm and leads him across the hallway as she speaks softly.

"What happened exactly?"

"I don't know details."

"But," he prompts, stepping dangerously close to read her face.

Gillian puts her hands up to fend him off again until she realises that actually, he's just extremely concerned about his protégé. "She was assaulted. Beat. She's a little shaken but I think she'll be fine."

"Assaulted sexually?"

"The doctor took a rape kit..." and Gillian trails off as the door behind her opens. Cal steps away from her and it's like he's a panther as he stalks around her in his black coat to approach Ria.

"All right?" He asks in a light tone of voice, a reassuring hand on her elbow.

"Yeah," Ria raises her chin in defiance.

Cal gives a nod and mutters something that Gillian doesn't manage to catch. "I'll take you lot home," he offers and strides away, the black coat now billowing out behind him like a superhero's cape.

_Gillian's apartment. Night. Continued._

Cal pulls into Gillian's driveway and kills the engine. They all get out and slam doors in silence. Cal retrieves a bag from the trunk and all three of move to stand on Gillian's doorstep. She twists her key in the lock and pushes the door open. Warm yellow light caresses over them and the stoop from a hallway fixture. "Go on in," Gillian tells Ria gently. Cal gives her a small duffel bag she has packed as an overnight kit. She thanks him and Gillian leaves the door wide open while she slowly walks Cal back to his car.

"You gonna be all right?" Cal asks her, looking towards the front door, unsure, as they come to a stop on the passenger's side of the engine. He rests his backside against the hood, hands in his coat pockets.

"Yeah," Gillian reassures him. "Sorry our evening got cut slightly shorter."

"Me too luv," Cal turns his attention to her.

"Rain check?"

"Yep," Cal nods, but he's not enthusiastic about it and shifts slightly on his feet. Gillian's face falls slightly as his gaze returns to her front door. He's clearly troubled or has something on his mind but she doesn't know what to say to him. So she gives his arm a squeeze and bids him goodnight. "Yeah," he echoes softly as she starts to walk away from him. "Call me later?"

"Sure," her answer floats softly through the night air.

Cal goes around to the driver's side but waits until she's inside and giving him a short wave from the door before he actually pulls away.

Gillian makes sure the front door is locked, then hangs her coat in the closet in the hallway and then wanders toward her spare room. Ria is unpacking her bag slowly. She senses Gillian's presence without her having to announce it. "You really didn't have to put me up for the night."

Gillian gives a shrug as if to say it's no bother. "You know Cal will want to look into this. I figure you can either talk to me about it now, willingly, over a hot drink, or you can let him interrogate you tomorrow in the cube."

Ria gives her a smooth expression. "Were you guys on a date?"

Gillian gives a slight laugh but it is not denial or confirmation. "We were at dinner," she says instead.

"Oh, then sorry for interrupting it."

"You didn't; we had finished."

"Do you guys have dinner often?" Ria asks next, turning her body slightly towards Gillian as she awaits the answer.

Gillian toys over responding while she leans against the door frame. "Not often. We _are_ friends outside of work."

"I know," Ria answers lightly. "You're right though, I would rather talk to you about it than be interrogated by Doctor Lightman."

Gillian gives her a slight smile of amusement. "I'll make hot chocolate. Unless you prefer coffee or tea?"

"No," Ria almost coos and her expression softens. She seems to visibly relax. "Hot chocolate would be wonderful."

"I'm going to change," Gillian informs her. "Help yourself to clean towels in the bathroom," she directs as she pushes herself away from the door frame. "There should be some Advil in there too," and moves into the hall.

Ria watches her go as she fidgets with her pyjamas on top of the duffel bag she never finished unpacking, her forehead turning thoughtful.

_Gillian's Apartment. Morning._

"Are you coming in?" His tone is demanding.

"Yes Cal. I did plan on coming in to work today," Gillian tells him lightly, while she pours herself a cup of coffee.  
>"When?"<p>

"When Ria gets out of the shower," Gillian pours cream into her cup.

"How long is that going to be?"

"I don't know Cal..." Gillian returns the milk to the fridge. "What's the rush?"

"No rush," Cal suddenly sounds cagey.

Gillian looks across her kitchen as if she can see him, wherever he is. "Are you at the office?" She checks her watch.

"Just thought I'd get a head start on today..."

"Wow, that's what it takes for you to arrive early huh?" She teases as she takes her first sip of her morning coffee.

"When it was you I practically lived here."

Gillian's gaze drops to her coffee cup. They're silent for a moment. "We'll be half an hour ok?"


	3. Chapter 3

_AN: Endless, let's assume he's talking about the last attack on Gillian, the one with the knife, seeing as it was the most recent._

**Act Two**

"No work today ok?" Gillian tells Ria gently as they walk along the corridor, having just entered the building. "Just take it easy."

"Just the interrogation right?"

"We interrogate the bad guys," Loker interrupts as he approaches quickly. "We interview our colleagues," he adds gently. He places his hand on Ria's shoulder, the other tenderly strokes her hair back from her face. Purple bruising has appeared around her neck, two finger marks on one side, just one on the other. There is also a large graze on her chin. "I tried ringing you."

Gillian gives them a smile they don't see and wanders off slowly to give them privacy. She feels the need to give them some space. As she walks away she can hear Ria tell Loker that she's fine. Gillian moves around the corner and heads for Cal's office first. He's sitting behind his desk, swinging back and forth in his chair while his head rests on his hand. He hears her approaching and spins to face her. He gives her an expectant expression. Gillian comes to a standstill in front of his desk. She gives a 'well?' gesture. "We're here."

Cal looks up at her and then slowly gets to his feet.

_Interview room. Continued._

Ria sits on one side of the table. She pulls her sleeves down over her hands and seems to huddle in on herself. Gillian is sitting opposite and is in the process of organising a legal pad on the table. "So we're just going to talk ok? We're just going to go over what we discussed last night," she tells Ria. "If you want to stop at any time that's ok," she looks up and gives the younger woman an earnest expression.

Ria nods. "Let's just get it over with so we can catch this bastard," she says determinedly.

Gillian gives a nod and turns her gaze to her notes. The page is blank. She seems to take a moment to gather herself. "Why don't you talk me through what happened?"

"Uh well, I was working late. You know, on the Storm case?"

Gillian nods.

"And uh I drove home. The usual route," she adds as an afterthought. "I got home around seven."

"Are you sure about the time?"

"I checked my phone messages. The machine reads out the time before it plays them."

Gillian nods. She's making notes as Ria talks.

"I was home probably fifteen minutes," Ria muses. "I got changed and then I went out again for food."

"Where did you go?" Gillian prompts glancing up.

"Around the corner from my place is a Chinese takeout. I'm pretty regular there," she admits almost sheepishly.

_Interview suit. Continued._

Loker sits and jigs his leg up and down as he watches the interview taking place in front of him. Cal is sitting quietly in another chair, slouched, watching the monitors of the computer screens and glancing up to watch the live version through the window. The audio is up as Ria explains how long it took her to get to the Chinese restaurant; less than five minutes.

"Can you sit still?" Cal asks abruptly. He's slouched in his chair, his hands folded across his belly.

"Sorry it's just..." Loker gestures but can't find the words to explain.

"Yeah, I know," Cal responds quietly after a moment of letting Loker fluster.

_Interview Room. Continued._

"How long were you at Woo Ha's?" Gillian asks.

"I don't know," Ria looks up as she thinks back. "Maybe ten minutes?"

"And you went home straight away?"

"Yeah I cut through the back alley and hadn't gone more than five meters and this guy just jumps me."

"You were on foot?" Gillian asks surprised.

"Yeah," Ria confirms, deep brown eyes wide. "There's an alley that cuts from the back of my place to a little group of shops. There's a post shop and a liquor store. I walk through there all the time."

"At night?"

"Yeah," Ria confirms softly as if she's suddenly realised that, perhaps, that is not such a smart idea.

_Interview Suite. Continued._

The door behind the two men opens and Detective Sharon Wallowski walks in. Cal turns the entire chair around to see who has come in, so that he can keep his relaxed posture. He eyes up the detective silently. Loker barely glances over.

"Got that incident report if you're still interested?" Wallowski holds up a folder as she approaches. Cal follows her movement but swivelling the chair.

"I'll take that," Loker snatches the report hungrily.

Wallowski gives him a surprised expression, then turns to Cal. "What's going on in there?" She jerks her chin in the direction of the two women sitting at the table talking.

"Looks like an interview," Cal muses, continuing to watch the police detective.

"She scratched him. That's the only physical evidence," Loker suddenly speaks up in surprise, with a slight edge of disgust, the open folder within his hands. He looks at Cal, then Wallowski. Wallowski looks at Cal, then Loker.

"He didn't rape her?" Loker queries warily.

_Interview Room. Continued._

"I remember he pushed me from behind and I fell," Ria stares at the table top while she talks. Her hand rises absently to her jaw, "I hit the ground hard."

Gillian continues to take steady notes.

"And then he was on me, pulling me around and pushing me in another direction. It was almost like he was trying to shake me. Like a doll."

There's a pause.

"If you want to take a break, we can," Gillian offers gently.

"No, it's ok," Ria insists. "Uh, he groped me, my breasts and tried to undo my pants. He seemed, rushed or something, and then I remember his hand around my throat. While he sort of fumbled..."

"Was he interrupted?" Gillian queries softly once Ria falls silent.

"I kicked him. Pretty hard. But I don't know why he stopped," Ria's tone is matter-of-fact.

"Did you see his face?"

"No, it was dark and it all happened so fast," she widens her eyes to emphasise the 'so' as if she is amazed by it.

_Interview Suite. Continued._

"If you need anything else give me a call," Wallowski announces and starts to move toward the door.

"Where you off to?" Cal asks accusingly, following her again through the movement of the chair.

"Work," Wallowski answers lightly, as if it is obvious, as if he is being funny for asking.

"Not gonna stick around for the end?"

"I've heard all of this before. It's in the report," she indicates the file Loker is still obsessing over.

"Trust me detective, you haven't heard all of it."

_Interview Room. Continued._

"Do you remember anything distinctive about him? How tall he was, what he wore, how he smelt?" Gillian prompts next, her tone nice and calm and even to make Ria feel at ease.

"He smelt like... gasoline or something," Ria jumps in, her eyes coming to focus on Gillian's as she remembers a solid detail, something she clearly has forgotten about until now.

"His cologne?"

"No, like, he smelt like an engine."

_Interview Suite. Continued._

"That in your report?" Cal asked.

"No," Wallowski is clearly interested.

"The officer didn't even ask the right questions," Loker mutters from his perch. Wallowski and Cal both look over at him.

"He's taking this one personally," Cal explains looking back up at the detective.

Wallowski gives him a raised eyebrow and uses a finger to indicate Loker and Torres sitting on their respective sides of the glass, both of them oblivious to what she is implying. Cal gives two raised eyebrows in response. "I see," she voices.

_Interview Room. Continued._

Ria finishes telling Gillian what she remembers about clothing, his height, his body type.

"What about his voice? Did he say anything?"

"He muttered," Ria half answers as she remembers back.

"Do you recall what he said?"

"Uh," Ria thinks for a moment, the memory clearly just on the edge of her brain.

"Take your time," Gillian suggests, her pen finally letting up on the page. She watches the younger woman for a moment.

"Yeah," Ria says slowly. "He kept saying the same thing over and over." She sits for a moment. "He kept saying 'no hay nada malo con."


	4. Chapter 4

_AN: endless, me again. No I don't speak Spanish. I used an online translator seeing as the one person I know who does actually speak the language didn't mail me back in time to get it straightened out. I know online translators are B.S and I know the phrase isn't quite correct, and for that I apologise, I'm embarrassed. But I felt it lent credibility to the story, having the perp/Ria say them in Spanish, and it's a shame the credibility has been shot to hell by my lack of thorough research. But when it comes to languages, specific wording or commonality of phrases will always be far more accurate coming from a native speaker. Can you pretend for me that it made complete sense and was perfect? I'd really appreciate that. Thank you. And sorry._

**Act Three**

Cal presses his lips tenderly against Gillian's neck. His hand respectfully rests on her leg, just above her knee, not daring to go any higher than that, even if he is gripping quite firmly. She's curled up against him on her couch and she closes her eyes as he murmurs something in her ear. There is low lighting. The setting is intimate. His other hand his threaded through her hair.

"Do you think Ria's going to be ok on her own tonight?"  
>"Can we not talk about her right now? I'm trying to work on you and me," Cal murmurs in response.<p>

"I just mean, last night..."

Cal pulls back abruptly. "She's a strong woman. She'll be all right." He pauses to give her a sincere expression. "Besides, I believe a certain Eli Loker might be swinging by about now to keep tabs on her."

Gillian gives a slight smile that doesn't reach her eyes. Cal gives a little sigh and readjusts his hand in her hair. He caresses the side of her head and ear as he watches her. "What's wrong?" He asks her gently.

"Just thinking."

"About?" Cal prompts.

"A lot of things at the moment," Gillian says a little dejectedly.

"You seemed unsettled today," he notes conversationally.

"Cuts a little close to home."

Cal is silent for a moment. "Fair enough luv," he almost whispers. He leans in to kiss her again. Sweet, soft, gentle kisses. He's careful, respectful but he can't stop his hand shifting that little bit higher. He pulls her against him gently, wanting to get closer but she's sitting with her knees in his lap, like a purposeful barrier to keep some distance, and her knees dig into his torso keeping him at bay. They break, take a lungful of air and meet again gently. Gillian's hand slips into the hair at the back of Cal's head as sensual kisses turn into careful but exciting exploration of hot tongues and desperate mouths.

Gillian pulls away abruptly. Cal looks dishevelled and sexy as hell along with it, but she's decidedly cautious. Cal gives a little groan. "Am I pressuring you?"

_Lightman Group. Lab. Day._

"We're looking for a young man, probably early twenties, someone on the cusp of figuring themselves out as an adult," Gillian heads the room, her psych profile projected on the wall. Cal is in his usual slouch. Ria sits to the left of him, at a consol. Her rapt attention in on Doctor Foster and the screen. Loker sits across the space from Ria, studying her, his attention nowhere else. Wallowski is standing almost beside Cal, but slightly back from him. "He's frustrated. He wants to take action but can't quite follow through."

"I can look into other cases," Wallowski tells Cal quietly.

"Go do that," Cal answers her while watching Gillian.

"You know _we_ can handle the case right?" She adds.

"You think that's going to stop _us_?" Cal glances up at her. He misses the subtle expression Gillian affords his direction. She doesn't hesitate in her little speech though and so Cal isn't alerted to the fact that she can hear his conversation with Wallowski.

"Right cos you have some sort of code over here that puts you above proper police procedure?"

Cal stares at her clearly unimpressed. "What wouldn't you do for family detective? You can't preach to me about proper police procedure."

Wallowski looks immediately and acutely embarrassed and she turns away in her shame. "I'll be at the station."

"Keep in touch," Cal requests lightly.

_Cal's office. Day. Continued._

"What was that about?"

"What?" Cal asks over his shoulder as he strides across the room to his desk. Gillian follows closely behind him, almost as if she's trying to catch him up. The form fitting dress she wears forces her to take quick shorter steps.

"You and Detective Wallowski?" Gillian queries as she comes to stop in front of his desk and watches him sit.

Cal slouches in his seat and looks up at her expectantly. "What about her?"

Gillian gives him an impatient expression. "You talk, she's suddenly incredibly embarrassed and leaves immediately. What did you say?"

"Just reminded her about familial obligations."

Gillian nods slightly as if she knows what he's talking about while she watches him carefully. She shifts her weight to the other foot and Cal looks up at her, his eyebrows raised questioningly and his expression open. "Are we ok?" She asks with a slight creasing of her forehead.

"Sure," Cal agrees readily.

Gillian watches him for a moment. "Ok," she agrees slowly, but she is not sure.

Cal gives her a grin. "Perfect darling." He gets up again. "I'm gonna go and check in with Shazza. She has a potential perpetrator that matches Ria's description for me to have a look at." He brushes past Gillian, waving his phone to indicate how he got that message, and quickly makes an exit. She turns to watch him leave and then faces his desk dejectedly.

_Tan sedan. Street. Day._

"Ria said when you picked her up from the hospital it looked like you and Gillian were on a date."

"What has that go to do with the case?" Cal asks as he turns his head to watch someone walk by. The wall beside where they're parked is plastered with posters for an artist named Sondre Lerche playing an acoustic set somewhere in the city the following evening.

"Nothing I just thought that was interesting," Wallowski seems nonchalant but the comment is loaded.

"Didn't realise we were getting so close Detective," Cal shoots back, sounding highly amused. There's a small silence while he looks around his surroundings again. Brilliant sunshine reflects off the dry concrete of the bare street. There isn't a tree in sight, it's all yard-less buildings, wooden lamp posts and chain link fences. Two men slouch down the pavement away from the direction of the unmarked police car. "Of course if you'd like to discuss details we could go over what you were up to last night."

Wallowski suddenly looks out the driver's window as the noise of a motorbike engine gets louder while it approaches. "There he is."

They step out of the police vehicle and approach an apartment building across the road where a young male is pulling a motorcycle helmet off his head. He swings his leg over the seat of the bike to stand on one side. Detective Wallowski approaches quickly, flashing her badge, she identifies herself. "Can we talk?"

The young man looks slightly surprised. "Sure we can talk," he responds with a mild Spanish accent. "What is this about?"

_Apartment. Day. Continued._

"I don't know anything about the lady that was attacked in the alleyway. But it is not the first time that has happened."

"So you _do_ know something about it Diego," Wallowski follows him as they move through to the open space of the living room, kitchen and dining room. Diego stands next to the kitchen bench, indicating he is not going to offer them any hospitality, like a seat on the broken down grey couch or something from the messy and worn kitchen.

"You hear things," Diego gives a deliberate shrug. "From around the neighbourhood."

Wallowski looks over at Cal. He gives the slightest shake of his head and looks around the bare surroundings, quite blatantly checking them out. Diego eyes him up carefully, keeping tabs on his movements as he goes to the back window where there is a sliding door. It looks out onto two meters of dry grass before a tall wooden fence separates the property from the alleyway that runs along the back of the houses in this row. There's a white plastic chair resting up against the fence, one of its legs missing so it has keeled over. There's a pile of haphazard newspapers in the corner where chain link meets wood.

"What have you heard?" Wallowski presses.

"Just that some lady got attacked there two nights ago."

"Did you notice anything? A noise? Voices?"

"No," he answers innocently.

"You're five meters away, and you told me you heard nothing?" The detective gives him a little mouth frown of disbelief. "Not a scuffle?"

Diego shrugs again while shaking his head 'no'.

"What about last week?" Wallowski continues. Cal moves from the back window to stand near them, hands in his pockets, watching the young man's face. His hair is black and his skin slightly tanned and his accent denotes that he speaks his Spanish simultaneously with his English, that he learnt them at the same time, neither accent has dominance.

"Wednesday," Wallowski continues. "Around eight-ish?"

"I was not here. I was working."

"You live here alone then?" Cal cuts in. He glances obviously towards the two bedrooms in the front of the apartment.

"No I have a roommate," Diego answers.

"Was he here last Wednesday?" Cal asks.

Wallowski turns to Diego with raised eyebrows, indicating that he should answer the question and that she is interested in his response.

"I do not know. He often works late," Diego responds. "We don't always see each other. Or keep an eye on each other's whereabouts."

A key sounds in the lock and another young man comes in. He looks similar to Diego, similar height, the same black hair and dark brown eyes. He looks startled for a moment. Diego waves him in. "These are police officers. They want to talk about what happened to that lady two nights ago. The one that was attacked. In the alleyway."

The roommate turns fully to face them. He has an obvious scratch down his cheek and looks, for a very slight second, something only Cal sees: guilty. Cal glances at Detective Wallowski who turns around, sees the injury to his face and looks back over at Cal, her eyebrows raised in a silent question of confirmation.


	5. Chapter 5

_AN: I don't know where all the reviewers have gone endless. I can account for at least one being on holiday, as for everyone else, I don't know. I can only assume I have been abandoned or that the story is so uninteresting no one wants to say anything about it. Sad times in the fandom. Sad times for me._

**Act Four**

A locker slams in the background. Gillian waits patiently, shifting her weight to her other foot. Loker fidgets where he's unable to stand still, a nervous bundle of energy, and it seems, barely checked anger or frustration.

The blond haired woman they are waiting on slips a clean white shirt over a white tank top and starts to button it. On the sleeve is the logo for the hospital she works for and above her breast pocket is a badge with her name on it. "We've worked together for about a year now. He seems totally harmless. You sure he attacked a woman?"

"Strangled and beat. Tried to rape her," Loker cuts in passionately, holding the woman's eyes violently, as if she is responsible. She looks away.

"We're pretty sure," Gillian responds gently. "But we need all the information we can get to make sure he can't hurt anyone else again."

The woman looks dubious as she finishes her shirt and tucks it into her trousers.

"Carmen, I know you have a strong bond because you're both paramedics and you rely on each other heavily for your work. Trust is an important issue between partners."

"It's not that," Carmen cuts in. She finishes dressing and closes her locker. "It's just that... I thought he was gay. He's sweet and like a marshmallow. He's really placid. Doesn't make sexual jokes like the other guys on the team. He's never tried to break into the women's locker room." Here she looks blatantly at Loker, shooting back her defiance to his accusations. He looks away and lowers his gaze. "He's never had a girlfriend that I knew about."

Gillian looks a little surprised. There's an awkward silence. "Thank you for your time," she tells Carmen politely. They retreat to the hallway and before the door of the bathroom can even swing shut behind them Loker rounds on her.

"Is that it? That's all you're going to ask her?"

"Yes," Gillian steps around him and starts walking. She digs in her purse. "That's all I need to ask her." She turns to look at Loker over her shoulder as she clips down the hallway and he follows. "She's not actually responsible for what happened to Ria."

Loker rolls his eyes but he bites his tongue. Gillian finds her phone and sets the speed dial to ring. She holds it up to her ear. "It's me." She pauses as she listens. "Have you talked to him yet?"

_Police department. Day. Continued._

"No. I'm waiting for the good detective to get out of the loo," Cal slips through a doorway from the noisy bull pen to a quieter corridor. He still has his coat on and he wanders along looking at the pictures pinned to the notice board as he passes by. "What have you got for me luv?"

_Hospital Corridor. Day. Continued._

"I think he's working out his sexual frustrations," Gillian speaks into her phone as she strolls along, Loker still in her wake.

"_Rape is about power_," Cal notes from the other end.

"No not that," Gillian corrects him. "I spoke to several of his colleagues. They describe him as being calm, placid and unlikely to react to provocation."

"_Maybe they haven't pushed him to provocation_."

"Oh no," Gillian looks slightly over her shoulder at the sound of someone calling down the hallway. It's not directed at her so she continues talking. "I think they have. The aerial paramedic team is very close knit. They're a very small community. But they're also male dominated. There's only two women in the entire DC area."

"_Waiting for you to get to the point luv_."

"They take hazing to a very serious level. In fact the hazing in this case bled into teasing; I'd call it harassment. Name-calling, suggestions of reduced mental capacity."

_Police department. Day. Continued._

"I love it when you use all that technical jargon," Cal teases as he reaches the end of the little hallway and stops in front of a set of fire doors.

"_They severely harassed him Cal. I would call it abuse. They pushed him to a breaking point. To confront something he didn't want to deal with. He profiles more like a young man trying to come to terms with his sexuality. He's never had a girlfriend. He associates more with his female colleague. The men in the team give him a hard time for being soft_."

"Wait, let me think of a few more clichés," Cal gestures to the wall as he listens to her, then pushes on the fire doors and slips through.

_Hospital corridor. Day. Continued._

"It's not just cliché's about masculinity," Gillian corrects him. She steps aside to let a man be pushed by her in a wheelchair. Then a commotion breaks out at the nearest nurse's station and distracts her for a moment.

"_I'm waiting for you to get to that point_," Cal tells her abruptly.

"They tease him about being abnormal."

_Police department. Day. Continued._

Cal strides along and suddenly stops his pace outside an interrogation room where Diego's roommate is waiting to be interviewed. He listens to his business partner on the phone as she makes her last point. "No hay nada malo conmigo," he recites easily. "There's nothing wrong with me."

_Hospital corridor. Day. Continued._

"There's nothing wrong with me," Gillian says at the same time. "Which at first makes no sense. But if you couple it with a repressed and confused sexuality, you're looking at a time bomb waiting to go off."

They reach the exit. Loker holds the door open for Gillian who has her phone in one hand and her purse in the other. She thanks him silently.

"He might not be able to follow through on a rape. But he wants to, which means the more often he's interrupted or can't bring himself to actually do anything sexual with these women..." Gillian trails off for a moment as she and Loker start to head across the parking lot.

_Police department. Day. Continued._

"That does sound like grounds for provocation," Cal muses turning to cross the corridor and lean against the wall.

"_He'll escalate. And quickly. Especially if he thinks people are on to him. You have to get him to confess immediately otherwise he could walk_."

Cal looks over at the suspect waiting patiently in the interrogation room.

_Gillian's office. Day. Continued._

Gillian is at her desk, placing her purse on top of it and taking her phone out of a side compartment. There's a tap on her open office door. She looks up. "Agent Russo," she's surprised. "Can I help you with something?"

He gives her a warm smile, lighting up his deep brown eyes. He's in a dark suit with a white shirt and a sky blue tie. He looks good, clean, tidy, handsome in a very obviously attractive way. "Um," he comes in a few steps, gives a little smile of even white teeth. "Is now a good time?"

"I have to be somewhere in a minute. Can you make it quick?" Gillian gives him a warm smile in return, placing her phone down on her desk pad.

"Uh, this is a little unorthodox..." he pauses. "But I was wondering if you would like to have dinner sometime?"

Gillian raises her eyebrows slightly in surprise.

"I've been thinking about you since we worked together," he explains slowly. "I would have called but I feel this way is more polite." He speaks hesitantly, almost shyly and he is clearly nervous.

Gillian gives him a slight smile this time. "Thank you so much but I can't."

"You're seeing someone?" He asks sounding somewhat hopeful.

Gillian hesitates, the smile still on her lips; a knowing smile, thoughtful. "Sort of."

"I figured. Someone like you would almost certainly be taken. I should have called instead of coming all the way down here to waste your time."

"It's just," Gillian starts but hesitates. Her fingers fidget with a page on top of her desk. She shifts her weight to her other foot. "Now is not really a good time."

_The Lightman Group cube. Day. Continued._

"What are you doing?" Gillian asks as she approaches where Cal is sitting with his feet up on the table, legs crossed at the ankle. He's on the wrong side of the cube. Inside, Loker sits with the subject.

Detective Wallowski rounds the cube and heads towards them. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yeah," Cal tells her, refusing to break his eyes away from the dark haired Hispanic man sitting in the interrogation room. He's hunched in on himself, trying to make himself seem much smaller. As if he could hide just by sitting there.

"It's just that, if he's going to be a tough nut to crack I'd like to be in there," Wallowski gestures.

"He won't talk to you," Cal answers.

"He's going to respond to a male," Gillian turns away from the detective as she adds her two cents worth, quickly catching up to Cal's latest technique for the interview, and crosses her arms across her chest.

"So then why isn't Doctor Lightman in there?" Wallowski challenges.

"He's too old," Gillian surmises dryly.

"Oh?" Wallowski asks and glances at Gillian and then after a moment, when she gets no answer from either of them, pulls out the seat at the end of the desk to sit and watch. She angles her body away from the other woman. Cal glances over at her, then up at Gillian, who is staring stoically at the two men in the glass cube, and then turns his gaze back to Loker with a little amused smile on his lips.


	6. Chapter 6

**Act Five**

"Hey Manny Ruiz! You piece of shit!"

The entire group turns startled at the outburst. Detective Wallowski is escorting Manny down the Lightman Group corridor in cuffs. Cal and Gillian are following along beside her. But all four of them turn surprised at the sound of Ria's voice. She approaches quickly, her dark brown eyes flashing in anger. Cal immediately steps out of her way and backs up to the side of the hallway. Gillian however tries to stop Ria with a gentle hand on her arm, telling her she should not be there right now. Ria shrugs her off easily. The detective keeps one hand on the man she is accompanying, the other she puts up to try and curb the angry young woman's path.

"Yeah I'm talking to you asshole," Ria shoots at Manny vehemently.

"Ria take it easy," Wallowski tells her calmly. "You don't want to do anything you might regret."

"Don't I?" Ria continues to talk to Manny. "Maybe give him a taste of his own medicine."

"Ria," Gillian tries to step in again.

Manny stares at her and Ria stares on back. "I know exactly who you are, you coward! Attacking women in the dark to work out some sick fantasy of yours."

"Hey," Gillian's voice is sharp but Ria is still not listening to her.

"Hay algo mal con usted," Ria throws at Manny. "You bastard. Find a shrink or drink yourself into oblivion like everyone else."

"Hey all right that's enough," Loker appears behind her, placing his hands gently on her shoulders to pull her back. Ria lets him but she continues to stare at Manny who is simply watching her neutrally as Loker guides her into the break room.

"Get him out of here," Cal tells Wallowski and starts to walk away.

"My pleasure," she responds giving Manny Ruiz a push in the right direction. Gillian watches them leave for a moment and then turns to look at Cal ducking into his office. But she goes after neither of them. She just stands in the corridor and looks down at the floor.

_Lightman residence. Exterior. Evening._

"Thanks," Gillian takes her wine glass from Cal carefully. She's on his couch, her feet tucked up beside her. Cal settles next to her, one leg curled beneath him so he can face her. He's sitting close. He sips his wine and watches her.

"Where's Emily this evening?"

"A study group. Which probably means at a boy's," Cal rolls his eyes lightly. "She'll be home for dinner."

Gillian nods, forces a smile, sips her wine.

"You all right luv?"

"Sure, just a tough case."

Cal nods. He continues to watch her. He brings a hand to rest on her knee. "Wanna talk about it?" He offers lightly.

Gillian gives a slight smile and looks down at her hand in her lap. "I watched Ria today with envy."

"And why is that?" He shifts slightly closer to her.

"She ripped the power Manny stole from her right on back. I never got to confront my attacker. He died before I got that chance."

"You wanted to confront him?" Cal borders on dubious and incredulous, as if the idea hadn't occurred to him before.

"I never got closure. I didn't even get to go to Zoe's funeral."

"Did you want to go?" Cal settles on neutral.

"I didn't get a chance to put this all to rest."

Cal gives her a slight frown. "I don't understand."

Gillian leans over and puts her wine glass down on the coffee table, then she seems to steel herself. "Cal we should talk."

"I thought that's what we were doing?" Cal asks unsure.

Gillian takes the hand he has on her knee and holds it gently between hers. "About you and me."

"What did I do?" Cal immediately asks.

"Nothing. It's me."

He gives a slight frown. "What are you on about?"

Gillian doesn't look comfortable one little bit as she says, "I can't do this right now."

"Do what?" Cal just about growls.

"See you. Like this," Gillian clarifies, carrying on as if he hasn't spoken. Cal looks stunned. "It's just..." she swallows hard and looks down at his hand in her lap. There's a long moment of silence. "It's just not the right timing."

"Did I do something? If this is about sex... I'm," he hesitates. "I can wait until you're ready. There's no pressure. It's a big step for us. It's the very last thing we have that we don't know about each other. And it's a big line to finally cross. I get that. I'm not... this isn't... I mean, I've been trying to be less... you know... me."

Gillian gives him such a slight smile she barely moves her mouth at all. "I want you to be you Cal." She reaches a hand out to rest on his arm. "I've never wanted you to be anything but who you are."

"Can you tell me what I did then that has changed your mind?" He sounds a little desperate and he shifts imperceptibly closer to her, his hand tightening in hers.

"This is going to sound like such a cliché," she glances up to the ceiling, almost wincing. "But it's not actually you, it's me."

Cal sits back abruptly. "I can't believe I screwed this up before it even started," he muses to the floor.

"Cal," Gillian leans over to pull his face towards her again by his jaw. "You're not listening. It's me ok? Not you. I can't do this. Not right now," she hesitates over the last words as if she were going to say something else.

"Why not now?"

"Just... I can't explain."

Cal looks pained. "You just want me to back off?"

"Yes."

Cal looks crushed.

"I'm sorry," Gillian murmurs. "I shouldn't have led you on. I didn't mean to."

"It didn't feel right did it?" Cal mutters, looking down at their hands clasped together despite the fingers of Gillian's right hand still lingering on his cheek.

"It's not that."

"I tried too hard?"

"Cal!" Gillian exclaims in exasperation, gesturing with her hand. "Stop wallowing in self loathing! I can't do this right now. I'm not myself. After what happened with Zoe and..." she trails off, hesitates, and can't include herself in that category. "Everything's changed. Everything feels differently to me. I need time to figure out who I am again." She brings her free hand to press against her chest.

Cal leans in to her, looking her in the eye. "I know who you are," he tells her sincerely.

"But I don't right now," she tells him softly. "And I need space to figure that out. I need to uncomplicated my life."

"Then I'll wait."

"No, I can't ask you to wait for me."

"I will _wait,_ _Gillian_," Cal tells her firmly.

She watches him for a moment. "You're so sure you and I are worth waiting for?"

"I've been waiting for one of us to finally put a label on whatever it is that keeps us together for so many years. I might be shit at talking about feelings but I feel something for you, something strong. That has been around consistently for years. If Zoe's death taught _me_ anything, it's that I shouldn't let things just slip around the outskirts of my life anymore. You survived. It's a second chance."

Tears have welled up in Gillian's eyes and she blinks them away quickly.

"The last thing I want is to pressure you into something you don't want. Don't feel obligated just cos I finally worked up the courage to tell you I _like_ you," he says 'like' with distaste. They both know it means something else, something so much more, but something neither of them are quite ready to say, or even contemplate too deeply. "Take all the time you need to think luv. You know how I feel. That won't change. And if you decide you feel differently about the whole thing after all..." He looks saddened for a moment. He's still and silent as he looks so far down he's staring at his chest. Then he lifts his jaw slightly to speak to his thighs. "Then that's ok."

Gillian wipes an errant tear on her cheek. Cal gives her hand a hopeful squeeze. "I have to go," she tells him in a whisper.

_Street. Evening._

Gillian walks from the front door, along the path, gets into her car and starts the engine. She pulls away from the curb a moment later. A second after she leaves, Cal emerges from the house and rushes to his car. He gets in and backs down the drive, pulling away in the same direction as Gillian. He keeps a block back but it is clear he his following her. They head through lamp lit streets as the sky finally falls into suppressing blackness.

Gillian pulls up at a house half way down the street. Cal makes sure he turns the corner out of sight. He pulls over quickly and gets out, running back on foot to the corner and stepping behind a tree to watch her get out of her vehicle and cross the street. She walks up the stairs of the building and presses the button for the doorbell. A moment later the door opens, bathing Gillian in warm yellow light. Cal starts walking down the street, keeping to the shadows on the opposite side. The man gives her a smile and gestures for her to come in. Cal can see, as he gets closer, that he is tall, especially when Gillian steps up next to him to move into the house. The man has dark hair and he's wearing a dark suit with a light blue coloured tie.

The door closes again. Cal watches it for a moment. He stands and stares and waits but there is no other movement. Then he walks away.

**PJ**

_AN: just so you know. The concept for this was developed weeks before the cancellation news. So I'm sorry to add a little more heart ache to the already delicate psyche's of ltm fans worldwide. I had to break them up. How else am I going to get them back together in such a delightful way!_

_Thanks for sticking around though. _

_Maybe read you around?_


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